Find Data: Data Discovery

Data Summary

In 1984, the General Assembly enacted the Chesapeake
Bay Critical Area Act to regulate development, manage
land use and conserve natural resources on land in those
areas designated as Critical Area. For this document, the
Critical Area is all land and water areas within 1000 feet
of the tidal waters' edge or from the landward edge of
adjacent tidal wetlands and the lands under them.
Georeferenced digital data files of the critical Area have
been produced for Baltimore City and the 16 Maryland
counties with land located within the Critical Area. The
digital maps produced for each jurisdiction are polygons
depicting the Critical Area and the land use classifications
recognized by the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area
Commission (CBCAC). Each jurisdiction is a separate file.
The data were produced from hard copy parcel maps
originally submitted by the counties as part of the
requirements for developing their Critical Area Program.